1. People who signed a document with an "X" were illiterate.
Although this may be true in some cases, the assumption is not 100% accurate. Sometimes, the signer had grown too feeble or blind to properly sign. This frequently is the case with old wills and deeds issued from an elder to a younger family member. In other cases, pioneer children were taught to READ from the family Bible. But, WRITING was not considered a skill many would ever need in their day-to-day lives.
2. People were shorter back in the "olden days."
Many folks make this assumption based on the low doorways seen in old houses, or because old beds and other furniture seem shorter than today's versions. Read Peter Matthiessen's wonderful book Shadow Country for accounts of South Florida's "Ox Woman" and her two equally tall sisters. Check out pension files from the Revolution and the War Between the States, which often include soldier's heights--many exceeding 6 feet. As to the beds, historians have conducted a thorough study and concluded old beds are no smaller than their modern counterparts. The eye just perceives them to be smaller because of features like headboards, posters, and canopies.
3. Florida did not suffer many casualties during the War Between the States.
It is true, Florida was the "smallest tadpole in the dirty pool of secession," as one northern observer recorded. The Sunshine State did indeed have the smallest population in the South, and historians have correctly argued her primary contribution to the Confederate cause was a steady supply of food (primarily cattle) and salt. However, the people of Florida bore a disproportionately large human cost, losing fully one-third of her fighting age men to military casualties. The number may have been small compared to more populous states, but the percentage was tragically higher than ANY state (North or South).
4. Aaron Jernigan was the first American settler in this area.
Several pioneers staked claims to land here according to the terms of the Armed Occupation Act of 1842, and three actually succeeded in perfecting their claims to receive title. Aaron Jernigan was only one. The others were his brother Isaac Jernigan and Orange County's early circuit court clerk Peter Hyrne.
5. Orlando was named for a soldier who was killed in action during the Second Seminole War.
Exhaustive research over many years has failed to identify any casualty by that name. There was a sugar planter named Orlando Rees who lived at Spring Garden up in Volusia County, who may have carved his name into a tree as a way of marking a trail through the wilderness in the early 1800s. When the first settlers arrived a generation later, they misinterpreted the tree carving as a grave marker. "There lies Orlando," they would say. And, so the name stuck. (And, a generation or so later, others attempted to give the name a Shakespearean origin. But, the less said about that, the better!)
6. The cities of Belle Isle and Edgewood were incorporated a year before Pine Castle.
Both Belle Isle (to the south) and Edgewood (to the north) incorporated in 1924, while Pine Castle received its state charter in 1925. But, there is ample documentation that Pine Castle actually incorporated a decade earlier in 1915. When town officials proposed floating bonds to finance improvements (including municipal utilities), residents in outlying areas objected and effectively seceded by establishing their own separate "cities." The State of Florida then issued Pine Castle a charter with smaller boundaries, and her neighboring municipalities went into dormancy. This dormancy allowed them to survive the Great Depression, which forced the Town of Pine Castle to dissolve in the 1930s.
7. The 1900 Union Church was the first real church structure in this area.
Florence Milton is actually credited with raising funds to build a Presbyterian church on the shores of Lake Jessamine in 1876. It accommodated 100 worshipers, but was quickly outgrown. The congregation decided to build their second structure downtown. It is known today as the First Presbyterian Church of Orlando.
8. Pioneer homes and buildings had lattice "skirts" to prevent wild hogs from seeking refuge under them.
There are tall tales of pioneer sermons being interrupted by squealing pigs beneath the Union Church in Pine Castle. But, they are just tall tales. Hogs were a valuable commodity and would not have been allowed to run wild. The lattice "skirts" were merely decorative.
9. The Seminole tribe were the area's first residents.
The Seminoles did not arrive in this area until the mid 1700s. The original residents were a tribe called the "Jororo," who were missionized by the Spanish in the 1600s. They were probably descended from the ancient Windover People who inhabited this part of Florida long before the pyramids were built in Egypt. Unfortunately, they were forced to abandon their native lands due to slave raids and pestilence, leaving a vacuum for the Seminoles as they fled American settlements in Alabama and Georgia.
10. This area was first named "Pine Castle" after Will Wallace Harney built a home by that name in the 1870s.
Harney himself noted the Seminoles called this area "Okehitanatchee," which he translated as "Land of Fair Waters." The first American settlers referred to the area as "Oak Ridge," a name that survives on road signs and elsewhere to this day.
11. There were no black pioneers in this area.
Former slave William Glover came to this area after the War Between the States to establish a farm that was recognized as one of the most successful in the pioneer era. Mr. Glover grew corn and cotton as cash crops, and planted a 300-tree orange grove. Many other freemen came here to work in the turpentine industry.
12. Hispanics had no significant presence here until recent times.
Many forget that Spain controlled Florida for over two hundred years, though it is true their influence was strongest in and around St. Augustine. But, several Spanish explorers and military expeditions visited the Central Florida frontier. A handful of Spanish priests even lived here as part of the effort to convert the native Jororo people to Christianity. And, both the Barber and Johns pioneer families had Hispanic roots.
13. Almost everyone in Pine Castle was a Baptist or a Methodist in the pioneer era.
It is true, these were (and continue to be) the two largest denominations. But, the first actual church was built by Presbyterians in 1876. The next structure was the "Union Church" of 1900, which was used by people of all faiths until 1912. The Cohen brothers were Jewish merchants who were shown as owners of a store lot when Will Harney subdivided his Pine Castle estate. The Bernards and Kaufmans were the most prominent Catholic families. And, the well-known "Aunt Ginny" Prescott was a Mormon.
14. "Pioneer Days" started in 1973.
Residents began celebrating area pioneers, recognizing them during the annual Orange County fair in the late 1800s. In 1942, a major celebration was held to mark the centennial of the Armed Occupation Act that brought so many of the first American settlers to this area. It included a parade through downtown Orlando, the largest contingent coming from Pine Castle. In 1973, the old Southern Garden Arts Center held a "Pioneer Day" celebration, a ONE-DAY event. It was so well-received, they expanded it to span one weekend per year. The tradition was maintained fairly regularly from that time by the old Pine Castle Center for the Arts and the Pine Castle United Methodist Church. In 2011, the festival was formally incorporated as an independent public charity with membership drawn from a broad spectrum of community entities.
To learn more about Central Florida's history and heritage, please join us February 21st and 22nd during Pine Castle Pioneer Days 2015 at Cypress Grove Park. (www.pinecastlepioneerdays.org)
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